Special Category Status: Congress accuses TDP, BJP of adopting double standards

Kadapa/Kurnool: Alleging that both TDP and BJP betrayed the people of Andhra Pradesh by adopting double standards on the Special Category Status issue, Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president N Raghuveera Reddy called upon the people to join hands with the Congress in the interest of achieving Special  Category Status.

The PCC chief was in Kadapa as part of Atma Gourava Deekshalu being organised by the party. He addressed a public gathering here on Tuesday.  He said both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu were deceiving the people by diverting their attention.

He pointed out that the Congress party had given notice under section-184 in Parliament for discussing the Special Status issue. He said if the TDP and YSR Congress had commitment to protect the State’s interests, then they should extend cooperation and take part in the discussion.

He also recalled that during bifurcation, the UPA government led by the Congress party had promised as many as 12 Central government projects, including railway zone for Visakhapatnam, steel plant in Kadapa, construction of Dugarajapatnam Port and special package for development of the backward districts in Rayalaseema and north Andhra.

An assistance of Rs 24,850 crore was promised for the backward districts, but the NDA government so far released only Rs 1,050 crore, the PCC chief pointed out.

Finding fault with the BJP-led NDA government for saying that there are some legal problems in providing Special Category Status to AP, the PCC chief wondered why the BJP did not raise the issue at the time of State bifurcation.

Raghuveera said it was not correct to blame the Congress for bifurcation, as all political parties except CPM gave letters of consent. Stating that the Union Budget is prepared in the presence of Cabinet Ministers, he wondered why the two Union Ministers representing the TDP kept quiet when injustice was being caused to Andhra Pradesh.

He said that to exert pressure on the NDA government to sanction Special Category Status to the State, the Congress party decided to intensify its agitation in a phased manner. The party activists will stage rasta rokos on national highways on March 2 and take part in Chalo Parliament on March 6 and 7.

PCC vice-president N Tulasi Reddy criticised Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Opposition leader Y S Jaganmohan Reddy for adopting double standards over the Special Status issue.

Former minister C Ramachandraiah, Kadapa Congress in-charge Chanchala Babu Yadav, DCC president S K Nazir Ahmed and others were present.

Later, taking part in Atma Gourava Deeksha in Kurnool, Raghuveera Reddy alleged that the Modi government rule was like British rule. He criticised the Prime Minister for taking unilateral decisions. By implementing demonetisation and introducing GST, Narendra Modi imposed a lot of burden on common people, he said.

Former Union Minister Kotla Jaya Surya Prakash Reddy said only the Congress is capable of getting Special Status for AP. He said AICC President Rahul Gandhi is likely to tour the State in April. Kurnool DCC president P Lakshmi Reddy, Sardar Bucchi Babu and other party leaders were present.